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“The way that you can tell when an addict is telling a lie is that their mouth is open.”

Scientists have studied whether or not addictions are related to genetics. They found that different strains of laboratory mice and rats differ in their use of alcohol. Both alcohol-preferring and alcohol-avoiding strains of rats have been selectively bred in laboratory settings. Studies such as this have led to the conclusion that there is significant evidence of a genetic contribution to the risk of becoming an alcoholic. Men who have a family history of alcoholism are actually at an increased risk of becoming an alcoholic themselves. This genetic tendency is not limited to alcohol; further studies on different strains of mice and rats have demonstrated different preferences for cocaine.

Whatever the addiction, whether it has identifiable genetic roots or not, a typical cycle of despair tends to emerge. It looks something like this:

* No one intends to become an addict, but many do. There is no intention to self-destruct and ruin health, jobs, and important relationships.

* Addicts lie to everyone in their lives. A common phrase used among addicts in treatment is: “The way that you can tell when an addict is telling a lie is that their mouth is open.” They live a false, concealed life of deceit.

* Things start missing in the home or office. As the problem escalates, the amount of deceit and dishonesty increases.

* Addicts are often intelligent and creative people who appear to have hope for the future, which adds to their problems. People around them see their potential strengths and deny the visible weaknesses, hoping that eventually their strengths will overcome their weaknesses.

* Addicts typically enter into their affliction because they attempt to compensate for some personal deficiency or life situation. They are often depressed, unhappy, or incapable of dealing with their life situations, which may include the loss of a loved one or job. This causes the individual to seek help in the form of a drug, alcohol, or sex. The cycle begins.

* The behaviors are the painkiller. Addicts avert emotional and physical pain by engaging in their behavior, thereby gaining a temporary or illusionary escape from life. When they are unable to cope with some aspect of their reality, they go to their addictive behavior for a temporary escape.

* The more a person uses their drug, the more inflated the problem becomes. More and more problems result from repeated use. The behavior becomes the center of their universe. Soon the individual finds the need to use continuously and will do anything to get “high.” They are now caught in the cycle.

* They become difficult to communicate with, find it hard to focus on a single topic for even 10 or 20 seconds. They withdraw and begin to exhibit strange behaviors associated with addiction.

* The more the person uses their drug, the more guilt begins to drive their lives. This results in depression, discontent, and despair.

* Now their use begins to affect their personal relationships, their job, their finances, and anything of value in their lives. They use more.

* Their use eventually has less to do with getting “high” and more to do with avoiding withdrawal. Addictions are a medical problem. Many forms of treatment are available. Some are more successful than others. One form of treatment is referred to as cognitive behavioral therapy where the addict is taught to identify the problem, to solve the problem, and to learn coping skills to prevent relapse.

Don’t accept nonprofessional speculation. Seek expert counseling. Find out what is available in your community and get treatment. from http://www.vibrantlife.com/vl/article-49.html

————————- When I was a second year medical student I had an memorable encounter with a heroin addict. “Doc,” he asked me, doing me the favor of pretending I was a real doctor already, “Do you know how to tell when an addict is lying?”

———————–The first casualty of addiction, like that of war, is the truth. At first the addict merely denies the truth to himself. But as the addiction, like a malignant tumor, slowly and progressively expands and invades more and more of the healthy tissue of his life and mind and world, the addict begins to deny the truth to others as well as to himself. He becomes a practiced and profligate liar in all matters related to the defense and preservation of his addiction, even though prior to the onset of his addictive illness, and often still in areas as yet untouched by the addiction, he may be scrupulously honest.

First the addict lies to himself about his addiction, then he begins to lie to others. Lying, evasion, deception, manipulation, spinning and other techniques for avoiding or distorting the truth are necessary parts of the addictive process. They precede the main body of the addiction like military sappers and shock troops, mapping and clearing the way for its advance and protecting it from hostile counterattacks. from http://www.bma-wellness.com/papers/Addiction_Lies_Rel.html